iOS 10.2.1 fails to fix annoying iPhone battery bug

Apple promised “bug fixes” with its most recent iOS 10.2.1 update, but it failed to fix an annoying issue that causes the iPhone to switch itself off with around 30 percent battery life remaining.

The bug has been around since Apple released iOS 10.1 last October, and it seems to be a problem for any iPhone except iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Users report that when their battery level reaches around 30 percent, the device decides it’s had enough and shuts itself down.

What’s strange is that in some cases, battery life will dive from 30 percent to 1 percent before the shutdown happens. When the phone is plugged into a charger, it comes back on almost instantly with 30 percent battery again.

iOS 10.2 actually made the problem worse, and a thread on Apple’s Support Communities forum now contains 125 pages of complaints from disgruntled users. All were hoping the issue would be fixed in iOS 10.2.1, but according to Forbes, it wasn’t.

“Throughout the testing of iOS 10.2.1 Apple declined to share any information about what the update contained, something that became a farce,” writes Gordon Kelly. “And know [sic] we know why because there is no attempt to fix the 30% bug in iOS 10.2.1.”

Apple hasn’t even acknowledged the problem yet (at least publicly), so we have no idea when a fix might come. It is already beta testing iOS 10.3, its next upgrade, but it’s currently unclear whether a patch will be included in that. And if it is, it’s likely to be 4-6 weeks away.